Students convict 'Roger' for killing 'Piggy' In mock trial at county court

Tuesday

Jun 29, 2010 at 3:15 AMJun 29, 2010 at 5:07 AM

By AARON SANBORNasanborn@fosters.com

DOVER — In the book "Lord of the Flies" the wrongdoings of many go unpunished.

But recently students in Judy Kucera's freshmen English class had the opportunity to hold one of the book's characters, Roger, accountable for his actions.

Kucera's class recently completed the book and instead of doing a traditional final exam on it, held a mock trial at Strafford County Superior Court. The trial focused on Roger's killing of Piggy in the book.

Roger, also known as Oyster River freshmen Chad Burns, was charged with second-degree murder, for Piggy's death.

"It's a great way to take the story to the next level," Kuchera said. "There are obviously some bad things done in the book that no one is held responsible for."

The class spent three weeks preparing for the trial, according to Kucera.

Students playing the part of state prosecutors argued Roger knowingly throws a rock at Piggy and killed him, while the defense argued Roger had no intent on striking Piggy when he threw the rock.

Students also played the role of the jury and witnesses, while Judge Susan Ashley presided over the trial.

Ultimately, the jury sided with the state and found Roger guilty of second-degree murder. Ashley then sentenced Roger to 25 years to life in prison.

"At this point the bailiff takes him away," Judge Ashley joked to the students. "But we won't do that here."

Students Chase Klewicki and Megan Comeau played the role of defense attorneys and said the trial was tough but fun experience.

David Chen, who played one of the prosecutors, said he wasn't very familiar with how the courts worked before this experience.

"It was confusing at first," he said. "I didn't know what to expect when we started but it was pretty fun."

Chen's classmate and fellow prosecutor, Dylan Trueblood, said they were lucky to win the case.

"If this were a real trial I think we would have needed to prove our case more," he said.

He noted it appeared the jury convicted Roger because of past behavior and not because of the evidence presented during the trial.

Brittany Daly, who was on the jury, said it was obvious Roger didn't like Piggy and Roger had a history of violence. She said the jury also considered the fact Roger showed little emotion following Piggy's death.

"Roger was calm after, it kind of showed that he didn't care."

Kuchera was pleased with how her class did with the trial and said it was nice to see them get so into it.

"They definitely get pretty carried away with it," she said. "But it forces them to really focus on the book."

Kuchera joked the students would probably argue over the outcome of the case during the bus ride back to school.

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